Lupita Nyong’O May Not Have Won a SAG Award, but Her Nomination Is a Huge Milestone for Horror Movies

This Academy Award-winning actress is back with a terrifying horror flick. Jordan Peele’s Us tells the story of one woman who is haunted by the trauma of her childhood. When she grows up, her deepest fears come to life and as a result, her family must fight for survival. By starring as two roles in this movie, Lupita Nyong’O earned a nomination at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Here’s what we know about this actress and Jordan Peele’s groundbreaking film.

Did Lupita Nyong’O get an Oscar nomination for ‘Us’?

Especially in recent years, horror movies have notoriously been overlooked at major award shows. Some fans were shocked when Toni Collette did not earn an Oscar nomination for her performance in Hereditary. The following year, fans said the same of Little Women’s Florence Pugh, for her performance in the twisted and colorful Midsommar.

As two of the starring roles in Jordan Peele’s Us, (portraying both Adelaide Red,) some expected Nyong’O to earn an Oscar nomination. Although she did not, the actress earned recognition at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, where she had a nomination in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role category.

‘Us’ earned recognition from the NAACP and major award shows

Although Us is not nominated for any Oscars, the movie still stands as an important milestone for horror films. It earned nominations at the Critics’ Choice Movie Award, alongside blockbusters like Joker and 1917. According to Indiewire, “Jordan Peele has been named the recipient of the 2019 John Schlesinger Britannia Award for Excellence in Directing.”

In fact, the first horror movie created by Jordan Peele, Get Out, earned the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. In 2020, Rian Johnson’s Drama/Thriller, Knives Out, earned a nomination in the same category.

“I stopped writing this movie about 20 times because I thought it was impossible. I thought it wasn’t going to work. I thought no one would ever make this movie. But I kept coming back to it because I knew if someone let me make this movie, that people would hear it and people would see it,” said Peele during his acceptance speech, who became the first black writer to win an Oscar for original screenplay.

What’s next for Lupita Nyong’O?

Recently appearing in movies like Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Black Panther, according to IMDB, Lupita Nyong’O is set to appear in projects 355 and Americanah. As far as opportunities in horror movies and beyond, the actress opened up on her decision to star as two roles in Jordan Peele’s 2019 release.

“It’s definitely not a calculated thing. These are all directors who have offered me the most interesting roles,” Lupita Nyong’O said during a roundtable with The Hollywood Reporter. “And I’ve taken them. I haven’t really thought about the demographic of the director I’ve been working with. This #MeToo time, this Time’s Up time in the industry, is about allowing for equitable representation. And because I am a black woman, I am a beneficiary of that movement in the work that I’ve been able to do.

“I’m very grateful to have come into the industry at the time that I have because I am benefiting from the efforts of a lot of other women who have come before me, other black women who have had it a lot rougher than I have,” she continued.

Us is available for purchase on DVD, Blu-Ray, and 4K Ultra HD.